Yezidis and Christianity: Shaping of a New Identity

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 353-365
Author(s):  
Victoria Arakelova
Keyword(s):  
Crucial Role ◽  
Interim Result ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Protestant Missions

For the last decades, the Yezidi identity whose main marker was for centuries based on a unique religion, the Sharfadin, has undergone specific transformations. One of the most stable trends playing a crucial role in the mentioned process, is the spread of Orthodox Christianity, particularly among the Yezidis of Georgia and Russia. This phenomenon is especially interesting regarding the fact that, unlike neo-Protestant missions, Orthodox Church has never been active in proselytism particularly among the Yezidis; no Orthodox mission has ever focused its activities on this group. Yet, the number of the Yezidis converting to the Orthodox Christianity gradually grows. The paper is an interim result of a project on the modern transformations of the Yezidi identity. Compiled on the materials collected by the author through interviews and questionnaires among the converted Yezidis of Georgia and Russia, it focuses on several particular cases reflecting the shaping of a principally new identity, when Christian mentality replaces the Yezidi eclectic religious outlook.

scholarly journals Eastern Orthodox Church and modern religious processes in the world

2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
pp. 425-441
Author(s):  
Miroljub Jevtic
Keyword(s):  
Catholic Church ◽  
Roman Catholic ◽  
Religious Practice ◽  
Eastern Orthodox ◽  
Roman Catholic Church ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
The World ◽  
Collapse Of Communism ◽  
Society Today

The majority of the Christian world today is affected by weakening adherence to principles of religious practice. The reverse is the case in the countries of predominantly Orthodox tradition. After the collapse of communism, all types of human freedom were revived, including the religious one. The consequence is the revival of the Orthodox Christianity. It is reflected in the influence of the Orthodox Church on the society. Today, the most respected institutions in Russia and Serbia are the Russian and Serbian Orthodox Church, respectively. Considering the decline of the Western Christianity, the revival of the Orthodox Church has raised hopes that the Western Christianity can be revived, too. Important Christian denominations, therefore, show great interest in including the Orthodox Church in the general Christian project. It is particularly evident in the Roman Catholic Church foreign policy. The Roman Catholic Church is attempting to restore relations with Orthodox churches. In this sense, the most important churches are the Russian and the Serbian Church. But, establishing relations with these two is for Vatican both a great challenge and a project of great significance.

scholarly journals “Old Church Women”: An Insight into the Less Understood and Their Contribution to the Life of the Orthodox Church

Societies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 63
Author(s):  
Lavinia Țânculescu
Keyword(s):  
Empirical Evidence ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
Spiritual Identity ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Romanian Orthodox Church ◽  
Romanian Orthodox ◽  
Insight Into

In this study, I aim to explore the role of old women in the life of the Christian Orthodox Church in the Romanian space. The analysis is based on empirical evidence (qualitative fieldwork and case studies) gathered between 2017 and 2019, and it mainly employs the framework of theory of tradition, and theories of attachment and of parent–infant relationship. I will show that old women going to church have a double role: To educate the community in keeping the religious tradition, and to initiate other members, especially the very young ones (blood-related or not), in the Romanian Orthodox faith. The paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages offered by both aforementioned roles, putting forth possible explanations for the tensions arising between generations. I conclude by underlining the crucial role that old women have in today’s struggle for survival of the Romanian Orthodox Church and in its spiritual identity.

scholarly journals "Rosyjskie Wilno" Andrzeja Murawjowa

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (XXIII) ◽  
pp. 45-57
Author(s):  
Anna Kościołek
Keyword(s):  
Holy Spirit ◽  
Church And State ◽  
Historical Memory ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
North West ◽  
Holy Trinity ◽  
The North

The article is an attempt to present the impressions of Andrey Muraviev, religious writer, theologian, poet, playwright, church and state activist, from his stay in Vilnius in 1863, on the basis of his work entitled The Russian Vilnius. It consists of six essays on Vilnius religious monuments: the Chapel of Our Lady of Ostra Brama, St. Paraskeva Orthodox church, Orthodox cathedral of Our Most Holy Lady, Orthodox church of translation of St Nicholas’ relics, Holy Trinity cathedral, Holy Spirit church and monastery complex. The author was only interested in monuments which would document the city’s connections to Russia and Orthodox Christianity. His reflections might be considered as a literary justification for the program of Russification of the north-west country, developed by the writer’s brother, Mikhail, who went down in Polish historical memory as Veshatiel.

scholarly journals RECONSTRUCTION OF SPASO-KAMENNY MONASTERY AND DEVELOPMENT OF A FUNCTIONAL ZONE FOR PILGRIMS AND TOURISTS ON THE SHORE OF THE KUBENSKY LAKE

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-60
Author(s):  
E. Shvetsova-Shilovskaya ◽  
Svetlana Il'vickaya
Keyword(s):  
Small Island ◽  
Russian Orthodox ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Russian Orthodox Church ◽  
Functional Zone ◽  
Russian North ◽  
Further Development

The growing interest in Orthodox Christianity and the transfer of many monasteries that were previously closed to the Russian Orthodox Church have led to an increase in the number of pilgrims and tourists willing to visit the Orthodox monasteries. This resulted in some problems relating to the need for the development of the necessary infrastructure and the necessity to provide the best possible conditions for both the visitors and monastery inhabitants. These problems are particularly acute in the monasteries of the Russian North. Many of which were previously destroyed and abandoned. The Spaso-Kamenny monastery of the Vologda Diocese located on a small island of the Kubensky lake is one of such monasteries. In this work, recommendations on the development of this monastery in the current conditions were proposed. These recommendations are based on the previously formulated four main principles of reconstruction and development of Orthodox monastery complexes in the Russian North. Authors show that for the further development of the Spaso-Kamenny monastery, it is reasonable to create a functional zone for pilgrims and tourists on the shore of the Kubensky lake. The building complex was designed, where the necessary and important one element for this zone the monastery museum was proposed. In this work, specific recommendations for an arrangement of this museum were given. It was shown that the main principles for reconstruction and development of Orthodox monastery complexes are also applicable for the monasteries, restoration of which has not been completed yet.

scholarly journals Divine Philanthropy and Human Misanthropy. The Abusive Defrocking and the Rehabilitation Process of Metropolitan Anthim of Iberia

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 561-574
Author(s):  
Maxim Marian Vlad
Keyword(s):  
Ottoman Empire ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Great Role ◽  
Rehabilitation Process ◽  
Cultural Life ◽  
The People ◽  
Romanian Orthodox Church ◽  
Romanian Orthodox ◽  
Do So

Saint Anthim of Iberia was one of the most cultured people of his time. He is a creator of a whole epoch in Wallachian and, in general, Romanian history. A highly learned metropolitan, he was also one the greatest Orthodox theologians of the time, a master of morality and doctrine, and finally a wise politician, who played a great role in the very complex social, political and cultural life of the Wallachian Principality. He harshly criticized the illiteracy and the greed of clergy, Eastern Patriarchs’ craving for wealth and power, and he relentlessly denounced the corruptness and the moral degradation of the ruling classes. His efforts to ally with Russia to liberate Wallachia from the Ottoman yoke led him to conflict with his great contemporary, Constantin Brâncoveanu, and then, even more gratingly, with the Voevoda Nicholas Mavrocordatos (1716-1730), described by some historians of the time as unwaveringly loyal to the Ottomans. The Phanariote Nicholas Mavrokordatos, who was only interested in the Ottoman Empire, replaced the Wallachian princes. Mavrokordatos was suspicious of Metr. Antimos and ordered the metropolitan to resign. Mavrokordatos appealed to Patriarch Jeremiah after Metr. Antimos refused to do so. The Patriarch convened a council of bishops, without any Romanian representation, that condemned the metropolitan to anathema and excommunication. Not satisfied in a finding that denied Metr. Antimos his title of Metropolitan of Hungro-Wallachia, Mavrokordatos order the metropolitan to exile to St. Catherine’s Monastery at Mount Sinai. On September 14, 1716, while en route to his place of exile, Metr. Antimos was ambushed by Turkish soldiers on the bank of the Tundzha River, near Gallipoli, as it flowed through Adrianople, and butchered him. Then, they threw his remains into the river. This brutal action ended the earthly life of a great man who had dedicated his strength, talent, and knowledge to the revival and strengthening of Orthodox Christianity among the people of Wallachia. The faithful Romanian people, considering, from the beginning, the sentence of defrocking as unjust and illegal, not only never stopped honoring Anthim the Iberian as chief priest also after his abusive defrocking, but with the passage of time increased their acts of piety and honor, considering him one of the most worthy hierarchs who pastored the Romanian Orthodox Church and a martyr, who sacrificed his life, with dignity, for the Orthodox faith and for the freedom and independence of the Motherland, which, since his adoption, he served as the most devoted and loving son.

scholarly journals Marxism-Leninism and Christianity: communalization of property, ethics, and justice

2021 ◽  
pp. 56-64
Author(s):  
Nikolai Nikolaevich Barinov
Keyword(s):  
Theoretical Perspective ◽  
Theory And Practice ◽  
Critical Study ◽  
Historical Documents ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Systemic Analysis ◽  
The Social ◽  
Comprehensive Examination ◽  
The Subject

This article conducts a historical-theological analysis of compatibility of the theory and practice of Marxism-Leninism with Christianity. The relevance of this question is substantiated by the ongoing polemics on the subject matter, which is directly related to the social structure. The historical-theological aspects are examined on the basis of critical study of the historical-philosophical works and historical documents on the topic. An attempt is made of systemic analysis of the subject under review. Three questions are examined: communalization of property, ethics, and justice. For comprehensive examination of this topic, the author provides the views of the opposing sides, texts of the Holy Scripture, and opinions of the Fathers of Orthodox Church. The novelty is defined by the fact that this article is first to examine certain documents the context of the indicated problem. The author also presents a more in-depth historical-theological analysis of the comparison of Marxism-Leninism and Orthodox Christianity, of compared to other existing research. The goal consists in consideration of the historical documents and historical-theological works on the topic. The conclusion is made that despite seeming similarity of certain provisions, Marxism-Leninism is incompatible with Christianity. From the theoretical perspective, socialism, in case of eliminating all contradictions, could have exist in symbiosis with Christianity. However, by no means such socialism would be founded on Marxism-Leninism.

scholarly journals Orthodox Christianity and the State: the Relevance of Globalization

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 212-229
Author(s):  
Victor Roudometof
Keyword(s):  
Social Change ◽  
The State ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Historical Change ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
Current Version ◽  
Basic Premise ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Opening Section

Abstract Orthodox Christianity remains relatively understudied and its scholarly analysis still suffers from widespread misconceptions. This article’s opening section is devoted to de-bunking of past biases, as these emerge in conventional or traditional modernist images of Orthodoxy in scholarship. Next, the article lays out a global perspective and argues that such a perspective can contribute greatly toward a different understanding of the relationship between Orthodox Church and politics. It proposes a series of distinct church-state patterns as observed in Orthodox pre-modern and modern societies. The variety of these arrangements strongly suggests the need to overturn past interpretations and to accept the basic premise that Orthodox Christianity has a multifaceted relationship to society and culture – as well as to accept the notion that, from within the lenses of historical globalization, Orthodoxy has experienced historical change and that its current version is in fact not the relic of an unchanged tradition but rather the product of social change and of adjustment to globalization.

11. Orthodoxy and the modern world

2019 ◽  
pp. 99-106
Author(s):  
A. Edward Siecienski
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Orthodox Church ◽  
Sexual Morality ◽  
Orthodox Christianity ◽  
The World ◽  
Role Of Women ◽  
The Church

The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been times of great upheaval for the Orthodox, with persecutions and mass emigrations, but also rebirth and the possibility of new growth. ‘Orthodoxy and the modern world’ considers the position of the Orthodox church on a range of matters, including its views on other churches; the attempts to create an independent church in Ukraine outside the Moscow Patriarchate jurisdiction; the role of women in the church; its advocacy of environmental issues; and issues of sexual morality. Orthodox Christianity remains vibrant and relevant; it provides millions of Christians throughout the world with their spiritual home, and continues to shape world events.

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